Connecting Asda Bilton and Castle Hill Hospital

On Sunday 10th November, East Yorkshire made a major change to cross city service 56 in Hull. Previously it operated between Asda Bilton, Longhill and Holderness Road in East Hull, Hull City Centre and Hull Royal Infirmary, Albert Avenue, Spring Bank, Wold Road and Wymersley Road in West Hull. However since the November change service 56 now replaces route 63 in West Hull, between Hull Paragon Interchange, Hull Royal Infirmary, Priory Road, Cottingham and Castle Hill Hospital to offer an Asda Bilton to Castle Hill service. New route 51 picks up the 56's previous Hull City Centre to Wymersley Road section. Castle Hill Hospital is almost certainly a far more useful destination from East Hull than Wymersley Road (a residential area), so this change does make sense - and everyone remains connected to Hull Royal Infirmary.

The 'old' service 56 had operated approximately every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday daytimes, hourly Sunday daytimes and every two hours daily evenings. The 56 then combined with service 57 between Asda Bilton, Hull City Centre, Hull Royal Infirmary and Hessle to offer an approximately every 10 minute frequency over the common section of route between Asda Bilton and Hull Royal Infirmary every Monday to Saturday daytime, half hourly Sunday daytimes and half hourly or hourly daily evenings. Service 63 had operated approximately half hourly Monday to Saturday daytimes and hourly evenings and Sundays.

The 'new' service 56 is little changed in terms of 'headline' frequencies compared to the 'old' 56, other than being increased to hourly in the evenings - which means an increase from 2 to 3 buses per hour for the old service 63 route Monday to Saturday daytimes. The 51 also has the same 'headline' frequency as the old 56. East Yorkshire give credit to Hull City Council Bus Service Improvement Plan funding for providing three buses per hour on the 51, so presumably the Monday to Saturday daytime frequency was at risk of being reduced?

There are also some slight early evening frequency enhancements on the 'new' 51/56/57 compared to the 'old' 56/57/63. again funded through Hull City Council's Bus Service Improvement Plan allocation. Sadly the 2330 Friday and Saturday Hull Paragon Interchange to Castle Hill service 63 is not included in the 'new' 56, with the last bus from Paragon Interchange a rather early 2234, although it should be said that parts of the route have later alternatives on other services.